Who am I?

I am the second born of four kids to Charles and Lola Lanham. I am the only boy. Forty-three years old and my momma still calls me her baby. It doesn’t even bother me anymore. LOL My father died in January 2001 from Pancreatic cancer. Mom lives in Sentinel, Oklahoma, which is in the southwest corner of the state. It was her hometown. Her and dad retired there several years ago. My oldest sister Rhonda lives in Denver, Colorado. Next is Regina, she lives in Liberty, Texas. About 30 minutes from where we grew up. (Tarkington Prairie) She is my biggest fan. Youngest is Lori. She and her family just got back from Singapore. They will resettle in or near Houston, Texas.

I was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on 14 January 1962. When I was 8 my dad got transferred to Houston, Texas. When I was 17 we moved out of Houston to the country. We spent the summer in a pop up travel trailer. My oldest sister was married and gone by then, so it was only the 5 of us. I graduated from Tarkington High School in 1980. Within a week I was out of state working. I couldn’t wait to get to a big city. Now I can’t wait to retire to a sailboat so I can get away from the big cities. Funny how life is circular like that, isn’t it?

My hobbies include sailing, reading, scuba diving, genealogy and movies. Some say I collect ex-wives. LOL I laugh because of shamefulness and pain. I read magazines like they are going out of style, especially ones dealing with Christianity, Health, History and Sailing. I read lots of books too. My current favorite authors are Frank Peretti, John Gresham, Tom Clancy and Mel Odom. Mel writes an end times series of books from a soldier’s perspective. I actually will read pretty much anything I can get my hands on. It all depends on my mood. I read everything that deals with sailing, from pirates to modern day stuff. If given the time, I will research something to death before committing. Except relationships, I guess. I have a knight in shining armor complex. I love to rescue damsels (actually anything, kids, animals, etc.) in distress. I am currently reading The Three Meter Zone: Common Sense Leadership for NCOs by CSM (R) J D Pendry. I even bought all of my junior NCOs a copy.

I listen to Country and Contemporary Christian music. My favorites are Michael W Smith, SheDaisy, Third Day, Chely Wright, Chris Rice (have you heard of his Cartoon song?), Clint Black, Toby Keith, and anyone who sings about soldiers. Except the Dixie Chicks. NO one should talk negatively about his or her country outside of its borders. I believe in freedom of speech (heck, I fight for it as a soldier) but I hate the fact that Natalie gave in to pressure from the fans to make the comment she did in England. If she had said the same words in Texas, it would have been no big deal. It saddened me to hear that Chris Ledoux died. He was so talented and such a great American.

My favorite movies are…guess….that is right, sailing movies. LOL Captain Ron is my all time favorite movie. I love comedy and action/adventure films. My favorite actress, at this time, is Angelina Jolie. Not only is she drop dead gorgeous, but also she loves kids. Like me, she seems to have a thing for refugees and orphanages. She is the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Her movie, Beyond Borders, really touched me. That is what I envision myself doing. But from a boat, I don’t want to put anyone out by making him or her have to provide me with a place to live. I want to sail up to a town. Get to know them. Build churches, schools and clinics if needed. Then sail in the supplies from time to time. I can hear you sarcastically saying, “Wow that must be rough”. To which I answer, Hey someone has to do it. Besides God didn’t say we had to be miserable while doing his work.

The TV shows I hate to miss are CSI: Crime Scene Investigations, CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, Tru Calling, and Alias.